Pumping/breastfeeding is suddenly excruciating! HELP!

By littlebug Dec 8, 2013

Ok, I am 10+ months into EBFing (pumping at work) and have never had any pain with it. Not even at the beginning. D latched perfectly from the get-go and we've had a fantastic bf'ing relationship since. The past few days, however, have been excruciating. My nipples are killing me. The best way I can describe it is it's like I have ground up glass in my nipples when he nurses or I pump. And the tissue around my nipples looks red, especially after a nursing or pumping session. It hurts so badly it brings tears to my eyes. Tonight I cut his nursing session shirt because I just couldn't take it anymore (it was his bedtime session and he was really just comfort sucking, not really eating anymore). I am thinking it's a case of thrush maybe? Sound familiar to anyone? Should I call my OB? The ped?

ETA: My nipples are hard ALL.THE.TIME the past few days. And super-sensitive. Ouch!

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Tags: breastfeeding , pain

17 comments

jedeve
pomegranate / 3643 posts

Dec 8, 2013

Sounds like thrush to me. Do you have any apno? You can also take probiotics or eat a lot of yogurt. Wash your nipples with vinegar and water after each feeding and then let them completely air dry. Call your DR first thing in the am!
Foodnerd81
wonderful cherry / 21504 posts

Dec 9, 2013

Sounds exactly like thrush. I agree with washing with vinegar and water after every feed until you can see the dr. I'd call your dr but you might also have to see the ped- you should both be treated. I thought we had it and went to the ped but he only looked at the baby, didn't look at my nipples.
Kemma
grapefruit / 4291 posts

Dec 9, 2013

Yep, sounds like thrush. Or is there any chance you could be pregnant??
Sapphiresun
nectarine / 2220 posts

Dec 9, 2013

As soon as you said crushed up glass, I thought thrush too.

Does your nipple skin look shiny? Any trace of little white bumps in baby's mouth?
littlebug
honeydew / 7504 posts

Dec 9, 2013

@Kemma: Definitely not pregnant, unless I'm birthing the second coming of Jesus.

@Sapphiresun: Nope, no bumps or white residue that I can see. Yes, nipples are shiny, some white residue, and ohmygodsopainful.

I just called my OB and the person at the front desk told me that "thrush is your mouth not your breast" and put me through to the nurses' line. Ugh.
hilsy85
squash / 13764 posts

Dec 9, 2013

Definitely sounds like thrush! That's a classic symptom description. This page has a lot of good ifo:
http://www.nbci.ca/index.php?option=com_content&id=12:candida-protocol&Itemid=17
edelweiss
grapefruit / 4923 posts

Dec 9, 2013

@littlebug: i totally wondered whether you were pregnant! anyway, i'm sorry so painful--sounds like the consensus is that it's probably thrush. so weird that the front desk person brushed you off like that. what's up with that?
Ms.SK
apricot / 498 posts

Dec 9, 2013

Sounds like Thrush. I had it for about 2 months and the only thing that saved me was APNO. Everyone will tell you to treat yourself and the baby at the same time. I took endless rounds of oral medicine and the twins took Nystatin. Finally since the babies didn't have any symptoms I stopped treating them. Nothing worked until APNO and boiling everything at once, clorox wipping all toys I could and machine washing the remainder.
littlebug
honeydew / 7504 posts

Dec 9, 2013

@Ms.SK: How do I get APNO? Is it a prescription? Or can I buy it OTC? Thanks!
hilsy85
squash / 13764 posts

Dec 9, 2013

@littlebug: you need a prescription and you need to get it fro a compounding pharmacy. In case they don't know the amounts in the mixture, it's in that link I posted
jedeve
pomegranate / 3643 posts

Dec 9, 2013

@littlebug: I hate when people at the front desk try to chime in on my medical conditions.
littlebug
honeydew / 7504 posts

Dec 9, 2013

@hilsy85: Awesome, thanks!

I spoke to my OB earlier and she was going to call in a script for Nystatin for me, but then I spoke to the lactation consultant here at the hospital and she said I should get an oral med, too, so I called back and asked the OB to call in Diflucan. So I"m getting that. And the ped is calling in Nystatin for D. Thanks, guys! Hopefully this stuff works quickly!
Ginger333
kiwi / 543 posts

Dec 9, 2013

Diflucan/Fluconazole is awesome and works really fast - make sure you have a high enough and long enough dose. I second getting the APNO - it's better than Nystatin IMO. The other thing you can try is Grapefruit Seed Extract - google Dr. Jack Newman Thrush Protocol, it's all in there (including the dosing for Diflucan)
In the mean time, until stuff starts working, Advil might help a bit with the pain.
Ms.SK
apricot / 498 posts

Dec 11, 2013

.@littlebug: It looks like you got the answer you needed, sorry it took me a bit to log back in. How are you doing? The Diflucan should be working for you by now. Did you also get the APNO? You can use them at the same time. I found that the Nystatin didn't do anything. It was odd to me that something was being used to treat yeast, that thrives on sugar, was so sweet. That is why I adventually stopped giving it to the babies. They didn't have any symptoms anyway. Let us know if you need anything
littlebug
honeydew / 7504 posts

Dec 11, 2013

@Ms.SK: The pain does seem to be getting better. I didn't get the APNO because the LC said it could cost $50 and, in her experience, Lotramin usually works fine. So I picked that up, and am using that with the Diflucan, and giving D the Nystatin 4x a day (poor kid). It dies seem odd that the Nystatin would be sweet, though, I see what you're saying. I guess I'll see how this goes, though! Thanks for checking in!

@Ginger333: Thanks! I wish I could take Advil, cuz it sure seems like a good answer to any pain, but unfortunately ibuprofen gives me headaches. So I have to make do with Tylenol, which sometimes just doesn't cut it.
avivoca
watermelon / 14467 posts

Dec 11, 2013

From the advice of the Bees, I tried vinegar applied to my nipples after every feeding and it helped a lot, since I had to go a weekend before I could get medicine. And the Nystatin didn't work so well and we got thrush again, so the second time my baby got Diflucan as well. I hope you are feeling better!
Ms.SK
apricot / 498 posts

Dec 11, 2013

@littlebug: If the lotrimin works for you that is great. I paid $85 for the ointment but it worked where the lotrimin didn't. I also liked that I didn't need to wash the APNO off but the lotrimin I had to. It never failed that I would get all set up with the twin nursing pillow and then realize I had forgotten to wash off the lotrimin.

@evansjamie: I used the vinegar as well but just after I pumped.

I think I used every single suggestion offered. I had this thrush stuff for about 2 months. But I wouldn't trade a second of it for still nursing my 17 month twins!

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